Improve your shackle angle

[BRIANHO13]

I helped Paul out with the set he purchased from you and they were indeed off way to much to use a BFH.i dont think it had a thing to do with the year of his xj.it definately appeared that the bend was done incorrectly. and he did infact voice the problem on this forum with no response. one would think that each pair is checked not only visually but dimensionally prior to shipping.apparently this isnt the case.

I do do spots checks on every batch produced.

I am definetly going to look into the newer models years because there is definetly something going on there.

Thanks for the input guys.

 

[norin radd]

model year: 1995. the factory box in banged up so high theres no way the fabbed outer box touches it. this is just the way it sits. the box can be pushed up if the factory bolt hole and female thread hole were lifted up 1/8" any help..ideas? i dont want to put washers or chunks of metal inbetween my frame and the kit.

 

[norin radd]

this is very frusterating as i need my vehicle, its my dd and only one. this seemed like an easy bolt on quick weld application.

 

[muddeprived]

Use a strip to steel (like the factory nutsert inside the frame rail) and drill holes in it and use it as a spacer between the flat piece and frame rail. it will lower the left side and make it level.

 

[BRIANHO13]

A side pic would help, something is interfering with you getting them level.

 

[Builderxyz]

Looks very familiar to me.that's how Pauls looked until we did a bunch of modifications to make it sit correctly. this was all due to the bolt holes being so far off. if the bracket is the correct length the box can be pushed back in enough to get the bolt in no matter what condition it's in. the problem is human error either during the cutting or bending process.it would be simple to make a jig of some type to quickly check each pair prior to leaving your place of buisness.

 

[norin radd]

I agree with builderxyz brian it seems my only issue is the frame rail bolts being really far off (about 1/4") heres a picture from the side. i banged the heck out of it and folded it up so far theres no way its in the way

 

[scottmcneal]

Yep, this looks just like pauls..Dam i think it is the SAME side too..We had to do alot of banging and cutting to get it to set right..You know you need to weld, so keep going to get it in there..Then WELD the piss out of it...This is how we did pauls.. Good luck, just keep doing a little at a time to get it right.. It'll fit..This is why i wouldn't buy a set of these,just for this reason..

 

[norin radd]

yeah i got them both in and there sitting close to straight as i think i can get them.. the springs had to be bent over aswell. but now my shackle angle at 45 is hitting the shackle mount. :gonnablow:gonnablow:gonnablow

 

[FlexdXJ]

I agree with builderxyz brian it seems my only issue is the frame rail bolts being really far off (about 1/4") heres a picture from the side. i banged the heck out of it and folded it up so far theres no way its in the way

Did you try enlarging the hole for the bolt to go through? Its gotta be welded anyways so that hole being oblong shouldn't be an issue. Also, not all XJ are exactly the same even if the unibody is "straight" there will be variation. I have not installed my set yet so I can't really give any advice to you. Good luck and I hope you get it worked out.

this is very frusterating as i need my vehicle, its my dd and only one. this seemed like an easy bolt on quick weld application.

Thats the nature of the beast man, I haven't installed mine yet for this reason. I am gonna be picking up a Honda to drive while I tear into my rig.

 

[norin radd]

its not about that hole being oblong if i drill that hole wider the factory female threaded hole on the frame will set the bolt on a bad angle which i wont do. it seems to be good for now ill snap some pics tomorow. im definitley going to have to chop the shackle mount down so my shackle can clear. rides smooth though its nice. after 10 times more work than anticipated and still not done. i am satisfied good product brian. looking forward to some roof sliders!

 

[XJRN]

Brian is going to help me mount a pair on my Jeep to verify fitment. He has already been a big help and I am sure he will get this worked out. I'll let you all know how it goes. I am looking forward to having them on.

 

[norin radd]

here are some pictures of the closest thing i could flex on. im going to need to chop off the last hole on the shackle mount.

on the last picture you can see the shackle is a bit to the right..is this acceptable. will it change anything or will it works its way straight over time?

 

[RedHeep]

Voice of experience:

Get a shorter shackle. Moving the mount hole forward with a lift shackle induces awesome spring wrap. Even if you don't break something like a driveshaft u-joint, you're going to ruin your leaf springs.

I went on one run to WF with the JKS shackles and popped a driveshaft joint and put a flat spot in brand new clayton leaf springs.

You need to keep your shackle from getting flat enough to hit the mount.

 

[norin radd]

Voice of experience:

Get a shorter shackle. Moving the mount hole forward with a lift shackle induces awesome spring wrap. Even if you don't break something like a driveshaft u-joint, you're going to ruin your leaf springs.

I went on one run to WF with the JKS shackles and popped a driveshaft joint and put a flat spot in brand new clayton leaf springs.

You need to keep your shackle from getting flat enough to hit the mount.

could i not cut out the last hole so that my shackle clears it? wouldnt that be easier than wasting expensive shackles and spending money on new ones?

 

[muddeprived]

I got the same issue with my stock shackles. It all depends on what shackle angle you use. The steeper the angle, the more chance it will hit the rear bracket but you can trim the bracket if you want or just bumpstop so it stops before it hits.

Here's mine and how it limits my uptravel. I plan to trim some of it off to clearn the shackle a little more. I originally had it set at 35 degrees and it hit just being loaded down so I changed it to 55 degrees and it's better now.

Those are really long shackles IMO.

 

[norin radd]

shackle angle as i sit flat, would cutting the last hole out or even last two fix my clearance issure with the long and wide shackle? it seems like it would

 

[norin radd]

excuse me if its a dumb question but a shackle couldnt up travel so much that it hit the flat top of the mount? at what angle does it stop at

 

[muddeprived]

excuse me if its a dumb question but a shackle couldnt up travel so much that it hit the flat top of the mount? at what angle does it stop at

It stops when your suspension (shocks or bumpstops) are fully compressed or your tires rub. Make sure your not getting too much uptravel that your springs invert.

 

[RedHeep]

could i not cut out the last hole so that my shackle clears it? wouldnt that be easier than wasting expensive shackles and spending money on new ones?

It's not about clearancing the mount so the shackle doesn't hit, it's about correcting the geometry.

I found in my case that the long shackles allowed extreme spring travel. The shackle was almost horizontal when the tire was stuffed. While this allows the wheel to articulate, it also caused the springs to flatten out, because when the shackle finally hits the mount, the spring continues to flatten.

The other issue is when you're in a high traction situation, the longer shackle allows the spring to move in a forward direction, causing the pinion to rise and the spring to wrap.

Both of those movements caused failed u-joints and flattened the arch in my very expensive leaf springs.

I just wanted you to know that you might be setting yourself up for some long term issues by running such a long shackle in a relocated mounting position. You might consider a shorter shackle to save yourself some cash in the long run.